Jim Henderson wrote:

> 
> Cool, it's amazing the skills and things people who I meet online have or 
> do. :-)  What sort of defensive driving techniques are employed by hacks 
> in NYC?  

Again, I teach here:
http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/taxi/
Andrew Vollo is my 'boss'

We teach the Defensive Driving, techically PIRP (Point and Insurance 
Reduction Program) under the sponsorship of:
http://www.ntsi.com/

It is the same course that anyone might take to reduce points on their 
license.  It is just that it is a TLC requirement that drivers (meaning 
taxi drivers) take this or similar course every three years as a 
compliance requirement for their hack license. (hack licenses are 
renewed eery two years) In addition the course is prerequisite to 
applying for a hack license in the first place.  So my students tend to 
be people fulfilling TLC requirements.


I've always found that sort of thing interesting (my dad taught
> me to drive in MN, and he was always teaching me defensive techniques).

The course focuses primarily on mental attitude and less on hard 
techniques.  I give a lot of emphasis to road rage and less emphasis on 
alcohol.  Many of the drivers are muslim.



> I understand there's a fairly common courtesy amongst cabbies in NYC

Not sure what you mean here but the usual take is that NY cabs have a 
fairly bad reputation.  This is not entirely deserved.  Drivers will 
show each other small courtesies on occasion.  For instance a car 
running 'heavy' meaning he has a fare, might block traffic to help an 
empty car get across to a hail.  But two cars competing for a fare can 
get ugly.


> (well, everywhere, really, but NYC cabbies are IMHO the best around; the 
> ones in San Francisco that I've had didn't even know how to get to where 
> they were driving me; 

I needed to hear that, we really do take a lot of abuse.


the one I had in Atlanta took advantage of my rush
> to the airport and gave himself a 100% tip for the ride - I hated having 
> to pay with a credit card).
> 
> In fact, the only other place I've ridden in a cab that I would compare 
> to NYC is in the UK (down near Hastings - haven't done a London cab ride 
> yet), 

London and Tokyo cabs are the ones that people cite as superior

and I know the cabs there have a steering system that turns both
> the front and the back wheels (I forget what it's called now - my wife 
> says it's called a "independent double wishbone suspension", capable of 
> doing a U-turn in 25 feet, mandated by the public carriage office) so the 
> cabs are REALLY maneuverable.  Anything like that employed on the cabs 
> there?  (I've not noticed it, but it's kinda hard while in the cab to see 
> what the wheels are doing, obviously)

Nope.  Innovations here are in the direction of hybrid 'green' models 
and wheelchair access.


  .
> 
> 
> I thought that was probably the case; they show what looks like his 
> license at the beginning of the show, but I keep forgetting to pause and 
> have a closer look to see how real it looks.  Usually there are things 
> that make it clear it's not real, since he's actually driving around 
> Broadway.  The cab itself is indistinguishable to my eye from any of the 
> other yellow minivan cabs there.

It looks pretty straight up to me.  People seem genuinely surprised.  I 
guess the camera work must be craftily hidden.  The routes are all the 
sort of thing I do routinely 'night in and night out'  The shots of the 
passing stuff is exactly what I am immersed in all night.



> 
> 
> Interesting, didn't know that.  I have seen FHVs at JFK, drivers asking 
> people waiting for the yellows charging a flat rate to get into town 
> (seems to me it was usually about $60-$75 the most recent time I was 
> there).  I always wondered if those were legal or if there was some way 
> to tell whether they were or not.  

They are NOT legal, they may only pickup prearranged fares, never 
solicite fares or pick up street hails.  NOw it is common for FHV's and 
gypsies to pick up street hails in the outer boroughs where yellows 
don'w want to go anyway.  But not at the airports.  In fact it is also 
against regs for yellows to pick up hails at the airports.  It must be 
the taxi line or nothing.


They seemed to take people out of the
> cab load/unload area there at the airport up into a nearby parking lot.  

Absolutely illegal

http://newyorkhack.blogspot.com/2007/07/perfectly-legal.html

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